


Reflections

by firestormrunner



Category: RWBY
Genre: Character Study, Family, Family Drama, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 02:43:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12267270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firestormrunner/pseuds/firestormrunner
Summary: Weiss Schnee often looks in the mirror and doesn't like the reflection staring back at her. The path to find herself in the mirror again is not an easy one.(Aka the four times Weiss looked in the mirror and didn't like what she saw, and the one time she didn't.)





	1. The Path to Isolation

_**“Mirror, what’s this thing I see? Who is staring back at me?”** _

The cold sunlight of the Atlesian midday streamed in through her window. Between the light reflecting off the snow outside and the blues and whites of her own room, the light almost made it seem like a snowstorm had entered through her window and left its contents on her floor and everything she owned. Given that it was an unusually cold day even by Atlas standards, she wouldn’t be surprised if that did actually happen. Besides, it would be fitting… _preferred_ even at this point. A snowstorm inside was nothing compared to the storm raging within the walls of the Schnee mansion.

Weiss sat on her bed, jaw clenched and eyes dead set on the wall in front of her as she listened to her father’s voice booming through the echoing halls of their home. He was yelling at everyone, General Ironwood, the military, her sister, even Klein when he became so bold as to speak a word. General Ironwood was just as loud, countering her father’s words and dismissing his remarks regarding the military. But she could tell there was a difference between the two. Where her father’s yelling was cold and with the intent to pierce and freeze a person, Ironwood’s was hot. He was just as loud, but his passion and belief in what he was saying was clear and the icy malice was not present.

And then, there was Winter. She was not without a voice in this, just as she never had been. And when she spoke her voice was firm, unwavering. It was filled to the brim with confidence that this was what she wanted no matter what the consequences were. There would be consequences…for the both of them. But she couldn’t blame her sister. Winter and their father had been in contention for a long time. It was never said, but she knew Winter was happier with the military, and though she couldn’t follow all of the logistics of the conversation, if what Ironwood said was true then Winter was _good_ at her job. If she was good and she was happy, why _wouldn’t_ she want to leave?

Weiss wouldn’t cry for that. There was no sadness in it. But between her clenched jaw and set stare, the fear of what would happen next clawed at her throat.

Winter had always been there. Winter had always been the one to take up fights with their father, whether it was for herself or it was for Weiss. Winter stood up for her, Winter trained with her, Winter _believed_ in her and listened and encouraged her wants. Yes she was strict, but it wasn’t in the same way as their father. Their father was strict to control, Winter was strict because she knew Weiss could do better even when she doubted herself. And because she wanted Weiss to survive. If Winter was gone, who would she have left?

Their grandfather was dead. Their father wanted nothing but the perfect image and cheapest rates. Their mother was about as absent as could be without leaving, and Whitley was too young and so obviously their father’s favorite that it didn’t matter. She would have Klein she supposed, but he was about as powerless as she was in this situation. Part of her wanted to go with her sister and be free of it before it even began. She didn’t want to be _alone._ But there were too many obstacles for that. Winter was an adult, Weiss was not. And the family business was still in question. Both she and Winter wanted better for the business, they both wanted to see it go back to the way their grandfather ran it. For so long, it had always been known that Winter would do that. But now…

“If you are so against this decision and the image it could portray for the Schnee family, then do it.”

The fight reached a crescendo, created by her sister of course, followed by a tense silence.

Weiss swallowed and closed her eyes. She knew what was coming next.

“Then you are no longer the Schnee heir! And beyond that, consider yourself completely disinherited!”

“Very well.”

Her father’s voice was as harsh as the biting winds on the mountains. Winter stood tall and unwavering despite it. And Weiss, alone in her room, an unknown audience, did not make a sound.

“Let’s go, Winter.”

Ironwood’s voice was calmer than before, but it was evident there was something stirring underneath. Nothing more was said though, and she listened as two sets of footsteps walked through the halls and out the main entrance of the manor. The door closing only punctuated the finality of what had happened. Her father’s heavy footsteps carried him back to his study, and the slamming of his office door solidified his fury.

The silence that followed was eerie and uncomfortable. Like the calm after a storm just waiting for its victims to come and assess the damage. All that could be done _was_ to assess the damage and determine how to rebuild. Winter was gone. Winter was not coming back and yet the only thing Weiss could truly think about was what she had been told the night before.

_“I’m not always going to be around to save you, Weiss.”_

At the time, she had thought her sister had been talking about her desire to become a Huntress. She supposed Winter had meant that too, but with this storm today she understood it to mean so much more. Winter would not always be around to stand up for her against their father. She would not always be around to take their father’s wrath or their mother’s drunkenness or business partners’ inquiries or…the family business at all. She knew the line of succession. The future of the Schnee Dust Company would be in her hands now.

She would have to get better. Not just at fighting, but at handling her father, at handling the business, at handling all the expectations that were sure to follow, and at believing in her own capabilities. She now had to _survive_ this, whether she was prepared for it or not. She had no choice, this was happening.

Weiss let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and opened her eyes. She caught a glimpse of herself in her mirror and found herself drawn to the stranger staring back at her. She had her face, her white hair and blue eyes, but there was a difference. The stranger in the mirror was colder; she showed no emotion and she had a confidence about herself that was bordering arrogance.

Well, at least she knew how to pretend, because the face staring back at her reflected nothing of what was going on inside. She knew and lived all the thoughts she had without any of the emotion. But she wouldn’t cry over this. She _couldn’t_ cry over this, not if she wanted to survive what came next. No, this was who she needed to be and what would be expected of her. She didn’t have to like it, she simply had to do it.

So she would. Later that evening when her father called her to his study, she went readily and stood at attention in front of his desk. She didn’t flinch as he came towards her from behind his desk, his anger from the day’s events still glaringly evident. Her eyes didn’t waver or back down as he looked her over, as if assessing her and her capabilities from a single glance  
“By now you have heard of your sister’s departure?”

And she bit her tongue when asked, swallowing all the words she would have liked to say. “Yes, father.”

“And by now you have heard of her disinheriting?”

She nodded, “Yes.”

He gave her another critical eye and then continued, “Then surely you know the line of succession and what this means.”

“Yes, father.”

He stared at her again and she resisted the urge to squirm or bristle under his gaze. She didn’t want to know what he was thinking, but she knew she was going to find out. “I have my concerns you will turn out like Winter,” her father said, and she had to wonder if that was such a bad thing, “Especially with your silly desire to train as a Huntress.”

Weiss wanted to shout it wasn’t silly. She wanted to scream that becoming a Huntress would restore the honor to their family name. The honor that _he_ had lost. Instead, she actually smiled, “I will do everything in my power to uphold and bring prestige to the Schnee family name.” In many ways, she did mean that, so it wasn’t a total lie.

Perhaps, because it wasn’t a lie he didn’t see through it. Instead of the ridicule and condescending speech she expected, her father seemed pleased by this. It was the only time he was pleased, when she acquiesced to everything he wanted. “Very well. I will start the paperwork and make the announcement of your succession in the morning. There is nothing else.”

“Thank you for the opportunity. I look forward to proving myself worthy of the position. Good night, father.”

As she left her father’s study, the smile fell from her face. But she could do this, and if she kept doing it, it would get easier. That was what practice did. All she had to do was get used to denying herself and accept that stranger in the mirror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I've been relatively quiet in the fandom, but I've been here since the beginning. This idea's been bouncing around for a while and with vol. 5 coming I figured, why not. It's been at least...oh, 5 years since I've written anything fanfiction-y so you know, let me know what you think and we'll see how this goes.  
> -Stormy


	2. Mirror Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, even without comments, I got more of a response than I was expecting. Thanks ^^

**_“Mirror mirror, tell me something: who’s the loneliest of all?”_ **

The rays from the setting sun filtered through the dining hall’s windows and cast themselves over the table filled with a rather exorbitant amount of food. She sat across from her father, the only other person in the room aside from the fleeting moments a server came by to inquire of their needs. He had requested this, a time for father-daughter bonding before her departure, but so far they had gone through two courses and were half-way through the third without either of them saying a word.

In most cases, Weiss would not have an issue with this arrangement. If her father was silent that meant he wasn’t unjustly yelling at her for unrelated events or lecturing her about the business, but this was different. He had requested this specifically, and with her looming travel to Beacon Academy in the morning, she knew he had something to say. More than likely, _a lot_ of somethings. So why he hadn’t said anything yet, she didn’t know. But she did figure if he was deliberating his words, it probably was not good.

And really, even without that, part of her had hoped to spend time with her family tonight. _All_ of them. She was leaving in the morning, she had hoped that maybe they would want to have one last night together. Instead, she had no clue where her mother was and Whitley was off with some peers from school. It was just her and her father, which she imagined was how he wanted it. It was always easier for him to say what he wanted to her, what he _really_ wanted, without the presence of anyone else.

She looked up from absently picking at her food when she heard the clank of silverware against a plate. Her father was looking at—no, _studying_ —her with his chin resting on folded hands. “Are you not hungry, Weiss?” he asked, his voice betraying nothing, “Need I remind you, it is impolite to pick at your food.”

Weiss glanced down, an easy, apologetic expression. Submissive in its act. “I would have preferred a lighter meal,” she admitted. It wasn’t a full explanation, but she figured that admittance would cause no harm as it would come as no surprise. She always preferred a lighter meal before a trip, it reduced the risk of sicknesses the next day. Heavier meals also didn’t help a stomach with nerves, and she was _definitely_ feeling those as well.

“Yes, you do travel to Vale in the morning, don’t you?”

She waited, knowing that was a rhetorical question and expecting more to come. When he didn’t continue, she looked up to find him staring back at her with an expectant look. “Yes. …That is why you called for this tonight, correct?” That was the impression she had been under, anyways.

“So you still intend to go through with this silly plan of yours?” he asked and punctuated his disappointment with a sigh, “Even after…that,” he added and gestured to her face.

Weiss resisted the urge to grit her teeth, feeling the engraving of the scar over her eye almost _burn_ with indignation at the remark. It had been _his_ idea in the first place. Fighting the newest model had been her test to prove she was worthy to go. Worthy in _his_ eyes, a man who had never fought a day in his life. A man who found the very notion utterly barbaric. Yet, she had taken the challenge and passed. It was a feat she and _only_ she was pleased about.

“I beat the thing, didn’t I?” she asked and cleared her throat, making sure not too much emotion slipped. All she needed was enough confidence to get her point across. “Besides, we Schnees are resilient. We don’t stay down, correct?”

Her father couldn’t argue against that, it was a great marketing strategy and she knew it. He huffed and another tense silence fell between them. Weiss had to wonder if this was it. He had been trying for months upon months to wear her down and talk and belittle her out of this and stay to be the heiress of the SDC and nothing more. And now that he realized he couldn’t, would he end it? Would he give her an ultimatum? Or would he immediately decide she was too much like Winter, too much of a _risk,_ and disinherit her too?

She had given almost _everything_ to keep her title. Every moment she possible could, she was with her father studying the business and attending multiple meetings with board members and trade partners and other government officials. She performed at countless events and maintained the company’s image to the highest degree. She dropped every friend and association her father had wanted her to, befriended and schmoozed every person he wanted her to, went to the school he wanted her to, even stayed out of relationships to assure she wouldn’t be caught in any scandal. She gave everything…but this.

She couldn’t give up on this dream. There was too much at stake, personally and professionally.

Was it finally time that he punished her for it?

“You truly believe this will help the family business?” her father asked finally.

It wasn’t an outright acceptance yet, but it wasn’t an immediate ultimatum either. She still had a chance if the latter was coming, at least, and she was relieved. She could at least work with that. “I do,” Weiss nodded. She had explained this hundreds of times already, and even though it was frustrating she supposed she could do it once more. “The business currently does not have the best press at the moment.” Faunus worker violations, White Fang attacks, having an entire train full of cargo stolen, every bit of news coming out about the SDC right now was terrible. “I am not yet set to inherit the company, but everyone by now knows that I am the heiress. Imagine what you could do by informing the masses the future leader of the Schnee Dust Company is training to be a Huntress, one of the legendary guardians of humanity.”

She didn’t want this for publicity, the idea unsettled her actually, that the one thing she had personally wanted all her life would be aired for the world to see. But she would allow it to occur if it was necessary to achieve it. “Imagine how much good light that would shed on you, and how good of a _distraction_ it would be from everything else,” Weiss added, “I think this is the best decision for the company.”

To her surprise, her father sighed and nodded, “It _could_ be used to our advantage.” She had expected to be scolded for bringing up the negative press, and instead he relented. In that moment, she could see how exhausted her father really was. She had seen it in fleeting glimpses during his shouting matches and during the occasional meeting, but had mostly disregarded it as her imagination. He would never show weakness in such a way, they were similar in that regard. But now it was upfront and undeniable. The current wave of negativity leveled against the company was wearing on him the same way he was wearing on her. She almost pitied him. Almost.

“You will do well at Beacon.”

Weiss nodded, “Of course, father.”

He shook his head at her, “That wasn’t a question. It was an order,” he stated, “You _will_ do well at Beacon, top of the class and leader of your own team. You will be popular, and spread the good name of the Schnee Dust Company. Anything less is unacceptable.”

She nodded again, not quite sure what to say to that. Anything less was unacceptable, that was his order and his declaration. Anything less would put her in hot water.

Her father said nothing more and glanced out the window as twilight approached. Something about the conversation seemed to remind him of something and he stood from his chair. “I have other matters to attend to, now that this has been cleared,” he announced, “I will see you in the morning. Sleep well.”

“Good night, father,” Weiss said to her father’s retreating back.

When he disappeared down the hall, she finally let out a sigh and gently pushed her plate away from her. Her attention returned to the window, and in the dimming light of twilight she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. The same girl who appeared the day Winter left stared back at her. Cold, confident, and unflinching, the stranger she had gotten so used to seeing didn’t blink. But there was something just barely different about the familiar stranger. It was just a flash of loneliness in those icy blue eyes.

She had given up everything for this, everything to keep her position as heiress and everything to prove herself worthy of going to Beacon. She was happy, she didn’t regret it a bit, yet the loneliness was still there, quiet but ever present.

Weiss was happy, but she had no one to share that with. Her mother and Whitley didn’t care, Winter wasn’t around to hear the good news, she had no real friends to tell, and her father…well her father didn’t care about her accomplishment. He didn’t care that this was what she wanted, just what it would do for the company, excelling was now simply an expectation of her in this regard as well. She was happy she succeeded, but she couldn’t celebrate that because nobody cared about _her_ and what she wanted.

She sighed again and turned away from the window. She stared at her food a moment longer before pushing herself up and turning to go to her room. She perhaps had foolishly hoped that maybe her mother or brother would greet her on the way back. Or at the very least would see her to say goodbye and wish her luck before she left in the morning. She had hoped her family, her own parents and her brother, would want to wish her well on this task. But that simply wasn’t coming. There was not going to be a celebration or any well wishes, not tonight and not ever, so there was no point in staying awake. Tomorrow was going to be a long day with the trip to Vale.

Maybe in Vale there would be a difference. She could only hope.


	3. It's My Turn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic isn't dead, I just didn't anticipate getting massive amounts of overtime at work in the past few weeks. So much for wanting to get this done before RWBY 5 started, but that's alright. I think given the latest episode I want to add an extra chapter anyways.
> 
> Moving on, file this chapter under scenes I wish actually were in the show.

**_“It all begins, a chance to win, a dream that’s been a lifetime, an endless vast uphill climb. The day I’ve waited for is drawing near.”_ **

It was late, and the fluorescent lights of the girls’ bathroom were hurting her tired eyes. The rest of her team, Blake included _finally_ , were back in their room already asleep. Everyone was exhausted from the excitement of everything and she felt no different. Yet, even as she got ready for bed her mind kept replaying the events that took place over the last three days.

Blake Belladonna, a Faunus and former member of the White Fang. Looking back on it, it did kind of make sense. The bow, the tuna, her defense of the Faunus and her hatred of her grandfather’s company…

_“Because of people like Cardin…people like **you**!”_

Weiss grimaced as the memory of her day-long argument with her black-haired teammate popped back into her head. Blake had called her discriminatory, said that was why the White Fang took the actions that they did. It shocked her to be called out like that, and in the back of her mind she knew it wasn’t 100% wrong. She hated her father for what he did to the company and knew that many of the business practices he implemented, especially towards the Faunus, were wrong. But that didn’t mean those were always there, Blake couldn’t blame the whole of the SDC for one man’s cruelty…and she certainly couldn’t blame Weiss.

In her defense, Weiss claimed victimhood, and in the moment she believed it. The White Fang were the ones who tormented her family and company for so long. They were the ones who killed and stole from her family. Acting against the whole, against innocent people who had nothing to do with her father or even encouraged him to change was not a proper reaction. And more often than not, they were the reason why her father was always in such a foul mood. And when he was in a foul mood, she got the brunt of it, so by extension it was their fault she was treated as she was. She had _every right_ to feel this way towards the White Fang.

Everything made sense, it made _perfect_ sense…until it didn’t. It came as a shock when Blake admitted it. Weiss didn’t want to believe it. The quiet bookworm whom she befriended, built bunkbeds with, and was part of her team was a part of the terrorists at war with her family. It didn’t make sense, Blake was nothing like them, Blake defended people… _saved_ people. There was no way even if she was a Faunus she would be a part of that filthy organization.

Except she was.

Weiss drew her eyes back up to the mirror hanging over the sink. She grimaced at the icy blue eyes staring back at her, hating the cold, knowing stare piercing into her soul. The cruel pride that seemed to shine in them.

After Blake sped off, everyone agreed to give her time and space. Ruby and Yang also gave Weiss some space, though after a while she really did want their opinion too. Maybe someone with an outside view could tell who was right and who was wrong in this situation. Clearly they felt some form of sympathy for her, Ruby had even tried to comfort her during the argument, but nothing more was said on the topic for the night.

And with the night to digest the information, there were only two answers Weiss could conceivably come to about the whole thing. Either one, her perceptions of the White Fang and the Faunus as a whole were wrong, or two, her and the sisters’ perceptions of Blake were wrong. She so desperately wanted it to be the latter, even as they went out searching for the missing girl after the weekend. She wanted to be wrong about Blake, but more importantly she didn’t want the girl to be right about her.

The thought of being properly lumped together with a guy like Cardin was distressing. The boy was an oaf, and a cruel bully too. Surely she was better than that…right? She might hold some preconceived notions, but those were justified given her experiences and she would _never_ act on them to hurt another individual. Not anyone who wasn’t a threat to her, anyways. That didn’t put her at the same level of Cardin or her father…and it certainly didn’t warrant the White Fang’s actions, _right_?

So if that was correct, then it was Blake who had to be wrong. And if it was Blake who was wrong, then it was her perceptions of Blake that had to be wrong, not her perceptions on the White Fang and the Faunus. And that made sense, it _was_ Blake who lied to everyone about who and what she was. It was Blake who hadn’t trusted her teammates enough to share with them this information. Blake was the liar, just like the White Fang were liars.

Yet even as she had and held that thought, it unsettled her stomach.

It wasn’t supported by anyone else either. Yang and Ruby both were willing to give Blake the benefit of the doubt, they just wanted to make sure she was alright and maybe get a straight answer about what happened. Maybe it was just because they hadn’t been as affected by the White Fang as she had. The sisters didn’t know the pain and misery they could inflict. But as the day wore on even she couldn’t deny a growing sense of worry over their missing teammate and knew that any perceived ignorance by Ruby and Yang wasn’t the answer there.

_“You don’t even care if we find her, do you?”_

The sting of Yang’s accusation as their day of searching wore on ran deeper than she would have expected. _Of course_ she cared. She cared a lot. Blake had their backs often enough as a teammate and at least a perceived friend enough to warrant making sure she was safe. But there were still too many unanswered questions, and she meant it when she told the blonde she was afraid to find out what the answers may be. The innocent didn’t run.

But more than that, she feared the complexity.

There was obviously more to Blake than any of them initially believed. And there was obviously a darker, worse side to her than they had seen. But that was also true of her, wasn’t it? Weiss’s home life hadn’t been great, and she fought tooth and nail to survive in every way she could think. That and her environment were bound to have side effects too. Maybe…side effects she didn’t necessarily want to admit to. Maybe everything wasn’t so black and white. Maybe both she and Blake could be both right and wrong.

Maybe she needed to change and apologize as much as Blake did. The reflection she saw in the mirror supported that idea just in its presence alone.

But first, she wanted those answers. Not all of them at once necessarily, but all three of them needed the answers to some questions before any explanations and understandings could be made. And while she feared the complexity and how difficult a conversation that may be, she wanted the resolution. She needed the closure, and she had a sneaking suspicion Blake did too.

So when they finally found Blake, the only answer she immediately needed, that any of them immediately needed, came pouring out of her mouth. She was no longer with the White Fang, and that was all that mattered. Weiss stopped her because then wasn’t the time or the place to have that discussion. All that mattered was that Blake was safe and she wasn’t part of the White Fang and that maybe, just _maybe_ she understood that she should trust her friends with such information.

At the end of the day, that was all that she wanted when she came to Beacon. Friends. Friends who trusted her and wanted to be with her. And even if it was unexpected, that was what Ruby and Yang and Blake had become to her. They were people whom she trusted and wanted to be with and whom she wanted to believe the feeling was reciprocated.

Yet, staring in the mirror after those long three days, she had to wonder if it was. Those icy blue eyes stared back at her as if they knew her, and yet, they weren’t hers. They weren’t the familiar stranger’s eyes either. No, the reflection staring back at her was of Jacques Schnee, and it was with a sinking heart she had to wonder if that was who everyone saw her as. Was this what Ruby saw when they first met, when she told their leader that she didn’t deserve her position? Was this what Port saw when he talked to her about that? Was this what Jaune saw when she turned him down and what Pyrrha saw when she wanted to team up? Was this what Yang saw when she asked if she even cared?

Was…was this what Blake saw the whole time?

It frightened her as much as it pained her. It frightened her that she had been so close to echoing so much of her father’s own rhetoric while here, treating many of the people she genuinely grew to care about as he treated much of his own family. Dare she say, she believed he would almost be _proud_ , and that was the one thing she _never_ wanted. She vowed to not be like him. She came to Beacon with the exact intent to make friends and help take the Schnee family name away from his clutches and instead she perpetuated his every action.

Her hands were shaking as she clutched the sink and stared back at her father in the mirror. _No_. No more of this.

“I will not be you,” Weiss whispered to the mirror. The reflection staring back at her seemed amused. Amused that it came to this and amused that she thought she could escape.

But she knew better. Thousands of miles away, she would not be under her father’s grip anymore. She had friends, or she had people she considered friends and who could return the feelings if she put forth an actual effort. She would not treat people the way her father did. She would do better, she would _be_ better.

There was a lot that needed repaired, but tomorrow she would start with Blake. They needed to talk, to figure everything out and address that the whole mess wasn’t so black and white on either side. From there, hopefully she could start mending their relationship and then move on to everyone else. Much mending was needed, and much change was needed too, but she was ready.

And with that thought solidified, she turned away from the mirror and started back to her room. She could feel her father’s eyes watching her as she retreated, but the fear in her heart was melting. He was nothing now but a reminder of all the things she didn’t want to be.

No, instead It was her turn to finally turn everything around into the life she wanted.


	4. Mirror Mirror (Reprise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having only one job now, more time in my life, and some semblance of motivation to write, this fic still isn't dead.

**_“Mirror mirror, I’ll tell you something: I think I might change it all.”_ **

The bright light of her Scroll filled the otherwise dim room as its incessant buzzing informed her of an incoming call. Weiss huffed and opened her eyes, only to squint against the bright light. Of course someone would call now, her Aura had only just started regenerating and she’d just gotten comfortable enough to doze off. And it wasn’t like anyone  _should_ have been calling her. The rest of her team knew she wanted to rest after the doubles match today, and JNPR had gone with them to celebrate her and Yang’s victory. They all knew she would probably be asleep by now, so unless something was wrong they wouldn’t bother her. Hopefully nothing was wrong…

When she picked up her Scroll to see who it was, it was something _far_ worse than her team calling to inform her of something.

“Father. Of course,” Weiss muttered. She couldn’t help rolling her eyes as she threw the Scroll back down on her bed and turned on her side. By now he had to have caught wind of what happened during the doubles, either by seeing it or by word of mouth. Certainly he wouldn’t be happy with how she conducted herself, but she couldn’t really bring herself to care, not about him nor the consequences he would lord over her. He would never understand. Sure, she could give an explanation about competition and wanting to win, and how that was the only way to ensure a win. She could tell him about how she knew the risk and the reward, and figured the risk was worth the reward. She could explain it to him by equating it to all of the business terms she knew and he would accept it, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because it wasn’t _true_.

Yes, she wanted to win the doubles match for herself, just as everyone still left in the tournament did. But it was so much more than that. She wanted to win the match for Yang, for her team who _trusted_ her and saw enough in her to send her on. She wanted to protect Yang from the onslaught Flynt was about to unleash on her. She wanted to prove herself as a Huntress and a teammate. She wanted to prove herself as a _friend_.

_“That was a gutsy move, Schnee. I dig it.”_

Flynt’s words right after the match still rang in her head as the only justification she needed. Not only had she wanted to prove herself, she _succeeded_ in doing so. Compared to what he told her before the match began, those words were one of the most important things she had ever heard. To go from being judged, from being _disliked_ for her name and her com—her _father’s_ company—to _acceptance_ in a matter of a fight was incredible. To know that her actions could have that impact, that she didn’t outright _earn_ that scorn anymore and could prove herself was such a wonderful thing to know. And while it could easily be twisted to be about the Schnee name, it _wasn’t_.

Throwing herself and Flynt into that blast wasn’t about proving anything about the Schnee family name. It wasn’t about Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. It was about the Beacon student and Huntress in training Weiss Schnee. Her father would never understand that, and while she _could_ lie about it, she didn’t _want_ to anymore.

It was gradual, but the familiar stranger and her mask were slowly melting away. Weiss had no desire to bring her back.

More than that, her actions were no longer harming the ones around her. Gone were the days where she was spouting off insults, knowingly or not, and hurting the ones around her. Gone were the days when she thought she was better than those around her. She still made mistakes, sure, it was a process, but she had gotten _better_. She was changing, she was taking strides to become the person she wanted to be. And it wasn’t for the family name anymore. It was for herself, and only for herself.

And through that, she had gotten what she wanted. Friends. People around her who liked her for who she was (who she _really_ was) and not people who pretended to like her for her name or because they felt they had to. Or worse yet, who outright despised her for her name and the act she put on. Authenticity had been more helpful to her goals than the rigid adherence to the image she thought she needed to portray would ever be.

It was with that thought the parting words of her sister replaced Flynt’s praise.

_“It sounds to me like you have two choices in front of you. You could either call him, beg for his money back, and once again explain once more why you want to study at Beacon over Atlas. Or, you could continue to explore Remnant, discovering more about the world and honestly…more about yourself.”_

Winter was correct, as she often was. It really shouldn’t have been a surprise, given her sister had gone through the same thing years prior. And Weiss had a sneaking suspicion Winter knew which one she wanted to pursue when she gave her the options. She knew she would have to call her father back eventually, however much she had no desire to. He would be persistent until she did, but it didn’t have to be now. Not yet anyways. And it certainly would _not_ be to beg for his money and find herself explaining her situation yet again.

She had already started taking major strides to accomplish the latter option. Exploring all of Remnant was still a bit of a ways off, of course, but learning more about herself? She had friends. She had a place where she finally felt she belonged, _really_ belonged. Not just belonging because of a name and a sense of duty. Not only had the familiar stranger been melting away, she was discovering the girl underneath. The _real_ young woman underneath, strong and intelligent and tempered with her experiences. And still learning more and more by the day with her training and from the people around her. No, there was definitely _no way_ she wanted to bring the familiar stranger back.

She _liked_ the person resting beneath the icy façade.

Almost as if sensing her determination, her Scroll stopped buzzing. She breathed a sigh of relief, but a moment later, a different vibration went off. It was only one, to signify a new message. Weiss let out another sigh and reached behind herself to grab it. It was a voice message that her Scroll was notifying her of, and she didn’t know why she expected any different. Her father was relentless in his desire to speak with her, his incessant calls and cutting her off had been proof of that. And she would, eventually, listen to his messages and return his calls, but not now. Definitely not tonight, she was far too tired and not in the mood to deal with being screamed at, especially with how good of a day it was otherwise.

She deserved to rest and enjoy the rest of her night comfortably.

She clicked her Scroll off and rolled over again. Her attention landed on the mirror on the wall across from her, and a set of blue eyes beamed back at her from the reflection. Winter smiled at her and nodded, pleased. _Proud_. And Weiss closed her eyes with a smile, fully content with her decision.

This was what Winter wanted for her, what she had meant a while ago when she said she wouldn’t always be around. She wanted her younger sister to be self-reliant and confident. Weiss wasn’t fully there yet, but she would be. She _wanted_ to be. She wanted to make Winter proud and be more like her. Self-reliant, self-assured, strong-willed, and happy with herself and her choices. She could get there…she _would_ get there. She would keep growing and changing and show the world who Weiss Schnee, not the familiar stranger, really was.

She no longer just hoped to find an environment better than what she had grown up in. She was determined to create and _see_ that difference for herself now.


	5. This Life Is Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that volume 5 soundtrack huh? Naturally "The Path to Isolation", the song that started this all, far exceeded my expectations. Fitting, since the last song of this fic also far exceeded my expectations.
> 
> So, here it is. Here lies the end, it's been a fun ride looking closer at our favorite Ice Queen. And if you liked this fic, don't worry I'm not done as a whole. I've still got a few other ideas rattling around in this brain of mine.

_**“This conversation’s finally over, Mirror mirror, now we’re done.”** _

  
The sun was just starting to peak over the Atlesian mountains, casting the otherwise cold region in a warm orange glow. She rarely had the opportunity to see a nice sunrise, so as the ship took off and zipped into the ever-lightening sky, she decided she would take this chance to enjoy it. The oranges and pinks bouncing off the glittering snow were simply beautiful, and the first stirring signs of what little wildlife endured the mountains were starting to show. It was serene and peaceful…everything she wanted it to be.

  
Her hands had finally stopped shaking and she could feel the tenseness she had carried the past two days slowly leaving her body. She had been nothing but a bundle of anxiety and anticipation since lunchtime yesterday. She didn’t think her escape would work, nothing as important as that had ever gone according to plan. Not since Beacon anyways. Sure, Klein was on her side, but her father or Whitley were _bound_ to catch her at some point during her flight from the mansion. And when that happened, she didn’t have a backup plan. At that point, all she knew was that she would do whatever it took to leave.

  
She knew for a fact she couldn’t stay in Atlas anymore.

  
Her family and the atmosphere of the land as a whole were driving her mad. Her father’s only concerns were appearances and making as much money as he could off of Beacon’s fall. Tragedy struck an entire _kingdom_. People lost _everything_. His own daughter had suffered losses he couldn’t even begin to fathom, and all Jacques Schnee could think about was profit. It was _disgusting_. And it wasn’t like the rest of her family residing in the mansion were any better. She barely even saw her own mother, except occasionally when she was in the garden and enjoying a bottle. And Whitley…well it seemed like their father had targeted and continued to groom him to an even higher degree once she was gone.

  
Weiss held a twinge of regret at that.

  
She remembered what it was like when Winter left. It hadn’t been something she considered her father would do to Whitley while she was at Beacon. She was still the heiress at the time, there was no need for it, but it seemed she was mistaken. And now…now she _knew_ it would happen. As Klein had said, after this, he and Winter very well could be the only family she had left. She felt bad for it, subjecting Whitely to that was never something she intended for (no matter how much of an arrogant pest he was). But he was as ruthless and cunning as their father, and the obvious favorite of the three children. He would be fine, she had to believe he would be fine because it couldn’t be helped.

  
She _needed_ to leave.

  
Atlas was suffocating. The people were just as ignorant and affronting as her family, her father’s charity ball only confirmed that. Her blood still boiled at the memory of the people there, acting as if it was no big deal. The boy who hit on her without even knowing why he was there. The woman who said Vale _deserved_ it…she didn’t regret that night. Not even after her father hit her and disinherited her, she did not regret a single thing. They were all so blind, so _insensitive_ to everyone and everything around them she had to wonder how she once suffered them at all.

  
After that night, Klein and General Ironwood seemed like the only sane people in the whole kingdom. And after hearing the latter argue incessantly with her father, she even had to wonder about him.

  
She couldn’t take it anymore, that was why she stowed away on board a ship with an illegal dust shipment. She couldn’t take the distant indifference of her kingdom anymore, nor their apparent belief this couldn’t _possibly_ happen to them. She couldn’t take her family exploiting a tragedy for their personal gain. She couldn’t handle dealing with her father and Whitley anymore and she so desperately needed to stop pretending to be something she wasn’t. She didn’t fit in with the upper echelon of Atlas, she never did and she never wanted to. And that was also why she would never regret the night of the charity ball. When her father revoked her heiress title, he cut the last chain tying her to it all.

  
And now she was disinherited, disenfranchised, disenchanted…and _free_.

  
Living for the sake of a name was an awful burden to carry. Weiss never realized how heavily it weighed on her until she no longer had to hold it. For so long she had wanted to be nothing but the perfect image (an image her father dictated) to take back the SDC. It was exhausting and it was frustrating and it had started consuming her. Turning her into something she wasn’t.

  
Not anymore. Beacon had changed her, or perhaps the school and its people reminded her of who she really wanted to be all along. And her return to Atlas only stressed that further. She didn’t want to be there, she could no longer pretend that everything was fine. She could no longer be the image they wanted her to reflect. Maybe one day she would go back for her initial dream of returning the company to what her grandfather had wanted it to be. But until then, there were so many other things that were more important. So many more things she could and _wanted_ to do for the current situation.

  
She was no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, the last shred of that died on her father’s tongue. She was not her father’s mirror image and she was not Winter’s shadow.

  
She was Weiss Schnee, Huntress in training, and this life was hers to decide. She was a member of Team RWBY, she was Ruby and Blake and Yang’s friend and teammate. She was a friend to Team JNPR and Team SSSN. She attended Beacon Academy. She was present for the Fall of Beacon, she saved as many people as she could there and she suffered the loss of friends there. She learned and accepted the world could be cold and cruel in a whole different way than she knew, and she would _not_ sit idly by when there was something she could do to help.

  
She would find her sister in Mistral and explain the situation. If Winter trusted her enough, perhaps she could get even more information on what was currently going on. And then she would find the rest of her team. Her last images of them still haunted her. Yang lying unconscious missing her arm, Blake a broken, bleeding mess by her side. And Ruby, nothing but a blinding flash of silver on top of the tower and then cradled unconscious in Qrow’s arms.

  
She had to find them. After that, she didn’t know what had to be done, but she knew they could figure it out together. They could face anything and everything so long as they were together again, she honestly believed that. They were her family now, they _had been_ her family for a while. If they had each other, then they had everything they needed.

  
She smiled faintly at the idea of seeing them again and watched the lands passing outside the ship window, staring past her own blue eyes reflected in the glass. Her reflection was staring back at her, but Weiss didn’t pay it any mind. She didn’t have to, not anymore. She knew who she was, and she knew what she had to do.

  
The familiar stranger no longer lived in the mirror. Her reflection was her own.


	6. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise bitch, thought you'd seen the last of me?
> 
> From the moment "Home" played in volume 5 when Yang and Weiss reunited, I knew there would be one extra bonus chapter on this fic. I just wanted to wait until RTX/Vol. 6 release announcement in order to celebrate. And now, here we are!
> 
> So here lies the actual end. At least until more Weiss songs are released which, let's be honest, will probably happen with volume 6. Maybe I'll add more here, maybe it'll be another fic. Who knows. Anyways, happy RTX! October 27, here we come!

**_“I don’t know what path we will be shown, but I know that when I’m with you I’m at home”_ **

Atlas. The name of the kingdom rang in the air as the Huntsman explained what needed to be done now that Haven Academy appeared to be safe…at least for the time being. Mistral was going to need help rebuilding after all of this, and the situation with Professor Lionheart would need to be dealt with. But after a few weeks maybe, if even that, they would all need to head to Atlas. Her eyes shot up to Qrow when he said that, not knowing why other than that Ozpin had said they needed to take the relic there.

_Atlas._

After everything she had endured there, all the humiliation and pain and abuse she had suffered there, she had to go back? After everything she had done to escape, the planning…what she had tossed aside? She would be wanted there, surely her father would be looking for her. He would want to know the moment she reentered the kingdom’s borders. Even if she was disinherited, she had caused him an embarrassment, she had become a stain on the family.

There was no way she could go back home.

“The borders are closed,” Weiss announced to the room, “General Ironwood has been very…defensive since the Fall of Beacon.” It was the only rational argument she had, and though she said it calmly, she could feel a slight tremor in her hands and fear starting to grip her throat. Funny, she could handle fighting hordes of Grimm, the overpowered lackeys of a madwoman who seemed to be intent on taking over the world, and could take getting _stabbed_ with a glass spear…but returning to Atlas and potentially facing her father? _That_ was what froze her.

“Hmph, Jimmy would be the one to think that’s how to fix it,” Qrow snorted and reached for something in his pocket. After a moment, he decided against it and looked at the prone figure of Oscar, running a hand through his hair. “Well, we go way back. He’ll just have to make an exception for us.”

She turned her eyes to the ground as the planning regarding Atlas resumed. She knew it wouldn’t dissuade anyone from going. Going to Atlas was inevitable if Ozpin said it was what they had to do. It was their duty to follow through, but she didn’t want to return. She had left, no _escaped_ , for a reason. Atlas was unbearable, her father was unbearable, and now she was being asked to walk straight back into everything she had sworn to leave behind. The thought was distressing.

“Weiss?”

She looked up as Ruby’s quiet voice caught her attention. Her team was still huddled together hugging, as if each of them were refusing to let go of the others in case it wasn’t real and they would wake up from this dream. They had all been separated for so long, it was a miracle they had all been reunited at _all_ , let alone here, coming together to save Haven. _They were all here_. And now all three of them were looking at her in concern.

She hadn’t even realized tears were forming in her eyes until she looked up and quickly blinked them away.

“You didn’t leave on very good terms, did you?” Yang asked, violet eyes soft in concern and understanding.

In the midst of everything, between being caught by Raven and her tribe and then being thrown into saving Haven and finding the relic, Weiss never got the chance to explain what had happened with her family at Atlas. But Yang wasn’t dumb, and she wasn’t surprised the blonde was able to discern what had happened after their talk about Blake. She would understand, they weren’t the same, but their situations had been similar. They each had their own, similar versions of loneliness.

“No,” she admitted and shook her head with a sniff, “I…I had to escape my home after my father disinherited me. I’m not upset about that in particular, but…I’m an embarrassment to him. He wanted to keep me locked up so he could keep an eye on me, he won’t be happy about this.” She looked down to the ground again and sighed. Just a year ago, she wouldn’t have been able to admit this. A year ago she didn’t have nearly as much of an understanding of herself or her situation. “I do not have any desire to go back.”

“He won’t _touch_ you.” She looked at Yang as her fiery voice made that promise. The blonde was looking back at her with a determination she had only ever seen when it came to doing something for Ruby. Yang smiled, “We won’t let him. Family looks out for each other, and your real family’s got your back, right?”

“Right!” Ruby beamed, “You’ve got your team again to help you all the way!”

“And some of us were pretty good at avoiding Schnees,” Blake added with a small smile of her own, “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

The amount of love and support she felt radiating off of her team was overwhelming. This was what she had been missing and so desperately _needing_ when she was taken back to Atlas, support, comradery. _Love_. She remembered what she told Yang during that conversation to. _“You, Ruby, and even Blake are more like family to me than my brother or even my own father.”_ She had meant it then, but hadn’t realized the full scope of it until now. Here, with her team she had an unbreakable bond of love and support for them, even if she hadn’t always shown it in the past.

And in return, she had unwavering love and support from them.

“I missed you all _so much_ ,” Weiss said, feeling it more apt than to say thank you. She had already said it to Yang and Ruby, the former was probably getting tired of hearing it at this point, but she didn’t care. She meant it every single time. Being separated had been nearly agonizing, and she didn’t want it to happen again. Team RWBY was her family.

It wasn’t perfect. Blake still seemed unsure about everything. Yang was still uncertain around Blake. Ruby was exhausted from whatever her eye powers were and Weiss herself still had a hole in her side from being stabbed. Everything that had happened to them since the Fall of Beacon had changed them, damaged them, but it was nothing they couldn’t adapt to. So long as they had each other, they each had their family, they could endure everything. She truly believed that.

Her teammates were her home, her _real home_ , birth kingdom be damned.

“Well, we’re all here now,” Ruby said, ever the optimist, “And this time we’re all gonna stick together, right?”

She looked at Blake, who simply nodded. She wished the Faunus girl would say something, but it was a start.

“And we’re going to take Atlas by storm and show everyone nobody messes with Team RWBY,” Yang added, and it was so nice to hear the _real_ confidence in her voice again.

“Yes,” Weiss agreed and smiled, unable to contain it, “Yes I think we will.”

So long as she had them, so long as she was _home_ , she could do anything.


End file.
